A Mirror Image
by gotpotter
Summary: RePosted, Post HBP. As the time for him to begin training for the war on Voldemort draws near, Harry sees his last chance at normality with Ginny slipping away. Will he be able to focus on the task ahead and succeed under the pressure? Read and find out.
1. Reflecting

**CHAPTER ONE**

Harry sighed and adjusted the bowtie of his new dress robes, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror. The robes were stiff and hot in the August heat, but Harry didn't complain. Ron, however, was a different story.

"Bloody dress robes." He muttered of his stiff new clothes. "You know, it's a right good thing we'll only ever be wearing them twice."

"But wait," said Harry with a smirk. "What about _your_ wedding? And mine? And anyone else who falls in love and invites us to their wedding, for that matter..." Ron swore under his breath and glared at his reflection.

"I wouldn't mind as much if they weren't so damn uncomfortable." He said, tugging at his stiff collar.

"Are you two decent?" called Ginny's voice through Ron's bedroom door. "I woke up late and all the other mirrors are taken."

"Come on in." replied Ron, moving aside and she burst into the room and began applying makeup to her already flawless complexion.

"Gin, you don't need it." Said Harry, gazing into the eyes of her reflection. Ron butted in before she could form a witty reply.

"It's no good, mate. They're all gonna put it on whether they need it or not." The boys smiled and Ginny gave a gesture close to that of an eye-roll.

"Ronald, you're just jealous that you don't get to pretty _yourself_ up so much." She said in a mocking tone.

"Har-har-har." He retorted, heading for the door. "Come on Harry, let's go downstairs and see if my parents need help with anything."

"You go down, I'll be there in a moment." replied Harry, clearing his throat. "I'm going to try to tame my hair and what-not." Ron just stood in the doorway of his own bedroom, glancing from his best friend to his little sister with a look that clearly said he knew what was going on. He then laughed and closed the door behind him as he left the room.

Ginny stared warily at Harry's reflection in the mirror as she ran a brush through her hair. This was the first time they had been alone all summer. Come to think of it, they had hardly been in the same room together since the funeral. Harry could tell that she didn't know what was going on, so he slowly sat on Ron's bed and took a deep breath.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk about things." He said, running his hands through his already wild hair.

"Well, you seemed pretty clear on things at the end of term, Harry. I…I didn't think there was really anything left to say."

"I know, but I don't-"

"Harry, if we talk about this now, I'm going to have to redo my makeup, and I really don't have the time."

"I know, but I just want to-"

"_Harry_." She snapped through a clenched jaw. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes and knew that now was not the time. He sighed and walked to the door, stopping short and turning back to her once again.

"Save a dance for me?" he asked with a weak smile. She smiled back and nodded, letting him leave the room so she could finish getting ready in peace.

"_Damn it_." She hissed at herself as the door closed. She was going to have to redo her makeup.


	2. The Wedding

**CHAPTER TWO**

The current events of their world seemed to be almost completely forgotten for the day. Everyone was happy and excited – Harry tried to enjoy himself.

Bill Weasley – the eldest of the Weasley children – looked absolutely giddy through his heavy scars, and gave off the distinct impression of someone who wanted desperately to jump up and down and squeal.

People chatted excitedly as they took their magically-conjured seats set up in the backyard of the Burrow, settling in for Bill's marriage to Fleur Delacour. Fleur's relatives were all just as elegant and charming as she was, if not more so. It was hard to keep from staring at times.

But something else held Harry's attention as the wedding party entered the backyard. All of Bill and Fleur's siblings (minus Percy) were in the wedding, as were Tonks (whose short hair matched her pale blue gown), and two other girls whom Harry could only assume were friends or relatives that he was not familiar with. Despite everyone there and everything that was going on, Harry could not – for the life of him – take his eyes off of Ginny.

Before he knew it, the sun was setting, the wedding had ended, and the festivities began. There was, as always, a great amount of delicious food and good company.

Harry poured himself a generous glass of mead (he was, after all, of age now) and went to stand with the elder Weasley brothers, who were all talking loudly and laughing.

"Where's Ron?" Charlie asked after a few minutes. As if on cue, Ron and Hermione stumbled, hand in hand, out of the woods next to the house.

"Pay up." Said Fred, holding out a hand to his twin brother. George, with a somewhat sunken look about him and muttering something about _"no more betting on the obvious," _fished around in his pocket and pulled out five Galleons, handing them to his brother.

Ron walked over the group, a glass of mead in hand, blushing furiously and clearing his throat. The others were obviously avoiding his gaze and biting back comments and laughter. Ron looked around at them.

"What? Nothing happened." This comment caused the group to burst into laughter. "I mean it!" he exclaimed, turning an even deeper shade of red.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, little brother!" jeered Charlie, receiving more laughter.

"I'm serious." He grumbled.

"Okay, okay." Said George. "We believe you." Ron glared at him. "Really!"

Ron relaxed a bit and took a drink. Harry looked at his watch. It was already six o'clock. He had nearly twelve hours left with his friends, for early the next morning he would be heading out and beginning his mission to stop Voldemort. He rubbed his eyes and pushed the thought from his mind. He had to talk to Ginny.

He excused himself from the group and made his way toward Ginny and Hermione, who were chatting excitedly in the far corner of the yard. They stopped talking as he neared them, and Hermione beamed.

"Ginny…" he said. "There's a slow song playing…and the floor is practically empty aside from your parents and Bill and Fleur...so…"

"So let's go take up space." Ginny said, taking his hand in hers. She waved to Hermione with a nervous grin and headed for the dance floor that had magically taken the place of all the chairs.

Harry held her close as they swayed to the soft love song playing from what seemed to be thin air. He never wanted this moment to end. He wanted nothing more than to stay here like this and hold her forever. But the song would end, and the morning would come, and he might never see Ginny (or any of these people) ever again. He felt tears threatening his eyes and Ginny shaking in his arms.

He looked down at her and took her chin gently in his hand. She was crying, or closer to sobbing really.

"Ginny…please don't –"

"It isn't fair." She sobbed. "We had so little time. Everyone else gets ages, Harry, ages…" The music had stopped, but Harry still held her close and swayed, not wanted to let her go. She laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair lovingly.

"It's not over." He whispered to her. "Not for good. Not if you'll wait for me."

"Haven't six years of waiting been enough? I want to be able to have you now, Harry. Now!" she said, backing away from him slightly. A few people were staring. "Don't I deserve it?"

"Of course you do." He said, wiping a tear from her cheek. "You deserve to have whatever you want."

"Then let me have it, Harry!" she exclaimed, new tears replacing the one he had just wiped away.

"I…I can't." he said lamely, tears threatening his own eyes. But he couldn't let himself cry. Many more people were staring. "We've been over this." He added in a gentle tone.

"I don't _care!_" she sobbed. "I don't _care._" She flung herself into his arms and hugged him with all her might. He went back to stroking her hair and let her cry – let himself cry.

Harry was aware that a lot of eyes were on them now. He was under the distinct impression that everyone pitied them. Everyone knew who he was and where he was going the next day, and reality seemed to set back in to everyone's minds. Harry didn't want to ruin this day. Not for Ginny, not for Bill, not for anyone.

"Let's go for a walk and let everyone get back to their fun." Harry whispered in her ear. She looked up at him and nodded, the two of them heading for the path that led around the woods.

Once they were out of the sight of the lights and out of earshot of the noise, they came to a halt in the moonlight. Harry looked down into her tear-stained face and kissed her. Bloody hell, it felt good to kiss her again. He had missed it so much.

"It may seem foolish," she said, pulling away slightly and looking into his eyes. "But I feel as if…this is right. As if I…as if I love you."

"Don't be daft." He said with a smirk. "I feel the same way." He peered down into her face and kissed her again. They were so enveloped in each other that they hardly knew what was going on. Before any of this had truly registered in Harry's mind, they were circling around the woods as to not be noticed when entering the front entrance of the house. His mind was whirling, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was her.


	3. Enamored

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Hello, anybody in here?" called Ginny as they entered the Burrow through the front door. After a few moments of silence, Ginny let out the breath she had been holding and guided Harry up the stairs. He knew what was probably going to happen once they reached her bedroom, but he could hardly believe it.

She closed the door behind them, and they stood looking at each other for one awkward moment. She broke the tension by kissing him passionately. His mind was cloudy, but not so much that he didn't quite know what was happening. Lips were crashing together, hands were roaming, breath was quickening, and bodies were pressing together. Harry felt the heat rippling beneath her skin and his hand brushed a light sleeve off of her shoulder. They broke apart quickly and looked into each other's eyes.

Ginny, breathing hard, bit her lip and looked him over. She slowly removed his heavy over-cloak and lightly kissed his neck. Harry wrapped his arms around her and found the zipper on the back of her gown. He lightly tugged on it and it came undone with ease. She stood back and pulled the dress off over her head, leaving her long red hair mussed wildly about her face. Harry smiled and bit back a laugh. Ginny Weasley was standing in front of him in just her knickers in a house that was completely empty aside from the two of them. He could hardly contain himself.

Harry quickly kicked off his shoes and stumbled when attempting to remove his socks. He practically tore off his vest and bowtie, throwing them to the floor. He began to frantically untuck his shirt as Ginny began to laugh. He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, breathing hard.

"What?" he said, his hand still on his shirt. She moved toward him slowly and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Relax." She whispered, kissing him lightly and untucking the rest of his shirt. He took a deep breath and let it out. He looked into her eyes and kissed her, moving to the bed in the corner of the room. They collapsed onto it as his shirt came off, which was also thrown to the floor.

"Why do we have to wear so many clothes?" he breathed with a slightly annoyed tone as Ginny began to unbuckle his belt.

"Good question." She said, slipping it off and kissing him. She smiled victoriously as she felt his arousal through his pants. He fumbled awkwardly with the clasp of her bra, and cursed himself for not having practice in the matter. He finally got it off and discarded it, taking in all her beauty.

"You're beautiful." He said in a husky voice.

"You're not bad yourself." She said in thanks, removing his pants. They laid close together on the bed, cuddling and holding each other, both in nothing but their knickers. They just looked at each other now, not sure what to do next. Harry nervously placed his hand on her hip, feeling the elastic band of the only thing that stood between him and pleasure. He tugged at it, pulling her knickers down her legs slowly and also ridding of them.

Not breaking their gaze, Ginny grabbed her wand off of the table next to her bed and set both silencing and sealing charms on the room. She then pointed in at herself and muttered the incantation of the contraception charm. She then threw her wand to the floor too and pressed herself against Harry. His breath caught in his throat as she pulled his boxer-shorts off of him. He bit his lip and looked down at the situation, and realized that it seemed…right. Perfect, even. He looked back up into her eyes and kissed her, positioning himself above her. Then it hit him.

Harry had no idea what he was doing. He had no idea about anything at this point. He was completely inexperienced, and he knew that somehow, it was showing. Was it really going to be as romantic and beautiful as everyone always said it was? He hovered over her awkwardly, wishing that someone had thought to teach him about things that _really_ mattered. Who needed Divinations when you needed to know how to do things like pleasure a woman?

"Harry…" said Ginny, taking his face in her hands. "Is everything ok?"

"I don't want to hurt you." He said out of nowhere, a slightly terrified expression on his face. She stared at him blankly, as if wondering why he was having these thoughts.

"Well there isn't really a way to avoid that, Harry…"

"No, I know that…" he said, trembling slightly.

"Are you having second thoughts?" she shifted slightly.

"I don't think so." He replied, kissing her. "I just don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"Good, then we're on the same page." She said with a nervous chuckle. "I love you, Harry. Just remember that." He looked at her longingly and nodded.

"I love you too." He said, taking a deep breath and penetrating her. Ginny did not cry, or hardly make a noise at all aside from a small squeak. She just shut her eyes tightly and slightly dug her nails into his back. But when she relaxed, she opened her eyes and gave a small nod. Harry kissed her as he continued, their breath quickening with every motion. He buried his head in her shoulder as she let out a moan and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He had never felt anything like this. He ran his hands all over her skin, wanting every single bit of her at his fingertips. Ginny laid her head back on the pillow and let out another moan, which alone put Harry closer to the edge.

He felt her tighten around him slightly as their breaths became quicker and closer together. He picked up his head and kissed her passionately as she moaned into his mouth and met her end, as did he seconds later. They laid close together, their breathing returning to normal a few moments later, and a smug happiness lay over the room.

Ginny smiled broadly, mere centimeters away from his face, and let out a weak and content chuckle. She looked at the clock on her wall. 7:15…they had a while before anyone would be coming in or go looking for them. They crawled under the old thin quilt on her bed and held each other lovingly. Ginny played with his hair as he laid his head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat, his glasses quite askew.

There was a long thread hanging off the corner of the quilt, and Harry played with it absentmindedly, not quite able to think yet. He yanked it out and held it up, staring at it. He took her hand in his and kissed it, tying the string around one of her fingers.

"I haven't had time to go shopping." He said, making sure not to tie it too tight.

"What? Harry…what are you-?" she said, but then it hit her.

"When I get back," he said in a thick voice. "I'll take you to pick out the perfect ring. I promise." He looked up at her with a hopeful expression. "I mean…I know we're quite young, but who knows when I'll get back…and I want to know that I'm coming back to you." He said, kissing her hand again. Ginny looked into his eyes, tears welling up in her own. Her mind raced. Yes, yes they were quite young to be doing this…but she loved Harry. She knew she did. There was no other explanation for how she felt, and she knew she would still feel the same way when he returned. Whether it be in a month or a decade. She was sure she'd be able to wait as long as she had to, if it meant she got him back alive. She kissed him and smiled.

"When you get back, I'll be here." She said. Harry beamed at her.

"I was hoping you would say that." Just then, they heard the back door open and close. He looked around and quickly got up, gathering his things. He pulled on his boxers and his pants and his shirt, not really bothering to button it up or tuck it in. He threw the vest on over it, and saw Ginny struggling with her own clothes.

Once everything was back on, however sloppily, they took a deep breath and lifted the charms they had placed on the room. Whoever it was had left the house again, and they were still in the clear. Ginny started laughing, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She let out a content sigh and rumpled his hair.

"I thought that was one of my brothers coming to murder you." She said with a giddy expression. Harry smiled.

"Well we wouldn't want them to kill me before-" he stopped himself. _Before Voldemort gets to me_ had been the rest of the sentence, but he didn't want to think about that now. He let out a sigh and gave her a weak smile. She smiled back, giving a sideways glance to the string on her finger. Sixteen and engaged to be married…what would her parents say? _It doesn't matter._ Said a voice in her head, and it was true.

They then tidied themselves up a bit more and headed back out the front door and back around the woods to rejoin the party. Harry wanted to enjoy the rest of the night with his friends.


	4. The Departure

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Harry woke up the next morning at five, having only an hour to get ready to depart on his journey. He sighed and lay in the extra cot in Ron's room for an extra five or ten minutes, staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to get up, but he knew he had to.

He rolled over and looked at Ron. He saw that Hermione had snuck into his bed late the night before, and was cuddling with Ron under the blankets. He smiled slightly to himself, but at the same time felt as if he was watching his brother and sister cuddling with each other. It was an odd sight.

Harry sighed and got out of bed, straightening up his things and throwing his belongings into a trunk. He went to the bathroom to get dressed, just in case Hermione might wake up. But he found himself heading not for the bathroom, but for the room just down the stairs. Ginny's room.

He opened the door and stared in, seeing that she was still asleep. He walked over to her bed and sat next to her on it, smoothing her hair and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He hoped they would all wake up before he left.

He had almost finished breakfast by the time his three best friends came racing down the stairs. Ron let out a deep breath, seeming relieved.

"We thought we had missed you, mate." He said, sitting at the table next to Harry.

"Yeah, we thought you had already left." Said Hermione, sitting on Ron's lap. Harry refrained from making a retching noise. He just smiled at them and took one last bite of the toast Mrs. Weasley had made for him. The clock read 5:45. He had fifteen minutes. He sighed and looked around at them.

"Don't try and write me." He said, meaning it. "I don't want any of you getting in trouble…I don't want you to get involved."

"We understand." Said Hermione, nodding her head. Ginny was being awfully quiet.

"I may write every once in a while, but it will never be much. You know, just in case it gets intercepted or something." The others nodded and Ginny played with the string on her finger. Harry took her hand and smiled up at her.

Mrs. Weasley then entered the room, her mouth open slightly as if she was about to say something about all the public displays of affection flying around. But she decided against it and just beamed around at them.

"Harry," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know how to get a hold of us if you ever need any help." Harry nodded and got up. Ten minutes.

"I should go get my things." He said, exiting the kitchen. Once he got to Ron's room he shrunk his trunk and slipped it into his pocket, wiping his eyes. He could not let himself cry again. There was a soft knock on the door and Harry turned to see Ginny. She looked as if she was going to start crying again too. He gave her a weak smile and held his arms open to her as she ran to him. He held her in his arms as they said their goodbyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much." She said, burying her face in his chest.

"You know I'll miss you too." He said, smoothing her hair again.

"I want to come with you."

"You know you can't."

"I know… You'll write though?"

"As much as I can."

"That's good enough, I suppose."

"I love you, Ginny."

"I love you too. You know that."

"I'll be looking forward to coming home."

"Yeah." And she began to cry. He kissed her gently and wiped away the tears, aware that his own eyes were burning. _Don't you dare cry._ He thought to himself. They headed down the stairs hand in hand. He looked at his watch – 5:57. Three minutes.

Harry stood at the back door and looked at them all. The rest of the Weasleys (plus a few members of the Order) had woken up to bid him farewell.

"Call on us whenever you need us, Potter." Said Mad-Eye Moody, his magical eye zooming in a hundred different directions. Harry shook his hand. Almost all at once, everyone in the room gave Harry a hug, or a kiss on the cheek, or a handshake. Every female was crying and every male was trying to keep an unreadable expression.

"So where are you going first?" asked Tonks as she hugged him.

"Uh…can't tell you that, sorry Tonks." He said, giving a sideways glance at Ginny. Tonks nodded in understanding and passed him along to the next person. It was 6:01 by the time he got around to Ginny, the last one.

Harry took her hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. He gave her a brief but sweet kiss and pulled away. "Good-bye." He said with a weak lopsided grin. Ginny attempted a smile, but couldn't do it. She shook her head and gave him a fierce hug, saying "Love you." quietly and bolting up the stairs before he even had a chance to say it back. He looked at his watch. 6:03.

"Well," he said, looking around the room one last time. "I had better get going. I'll see you all when I get back…" he trailed off. What if he didn't come back? Forcing the thought from his mind, he gave a small wave, Apparated with a _pop,_ and was gone.


	5. Like A Child

**CHAPTER FIVE**

"_Closed_?" exclaimed Ginny, gaping at the latest edition of the _Daily Prophet_. "How can they close it?"

"What are you on about?" Said Ron sleepily as he took a seat at the kitchen table. Ginny thrust the paper at him and moodily folded her arms across her chest. Ron's eyes widened as he scanned the front page. "This is a joke, right?"

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione, entering the kitchen and bending low to wrap her arms around Ron. She caught a glimpse of the paper and looked as though she might cry. Mrs. Weasley then entered the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist and busying herself at he stove.

"I expect we should be heading to Diagon Alley soon." She said with a small yawn.

"There isn't a need." pouted Ginny. "The Ministry has closed the school." Her mother whipped around, the food on her spatula flying about the room.

"They've _what_?"

"Closed Hogwarts…" said Ron as though his mind wasn't really processing it.

"Our…our education…" muttered Hermione, plopping limply into a chair beside Ron. "What are we going to do with our lives if we can't finish school?" Silence and dread hung over the room as they all took in what was going on.

Ginny didn't know what she was going to do with the next two years of her life. What was she supposed to do all day if she couldn't be at school? Surely no one could find the time to give her lessons, and she would have to turn out a house maid or a stay at home mother. She had wanted great things from her life, but with two years of her education missing…what was she to do? She got up from her chair and went to her room silently.

She had half-expected this to happen; everyone had. And perhaps if everything else wasn't so gloomy these days, this news wouldn't be such a tremendous blow. But she had been looking forward to a time where she could occupy her mind with studies instead of constantly thinking of Harry, what he was doing, where he was, what he had accomplished thus far, if he was still alive…surely she would eventually go mad.

Ginny sighed and plopped down on her bed, pulling a small box out of her bedside drawer. She rifled through the papers until she found the small strip of parchment which bore only three words: "_I love you_." It was addressed to no one, and had no signature at the bottom. There was no indication of where it had come from and had been delivered by and unfamiliar owl. But she had known who it was from the moment she had received it a week prior, and cherished it more than almost anything else.

Hearing loud voices downstairs, Ginny got up and moved to her door, opening it and walking to the top of the stairs to listen.

"We've got to go now, Mum, there's nothing else to keep us here!" she heard Ron shouting. She tensed slightly as a sickening feeling swept over her.

"You haven't received word that he needs you, so you're not going anywhere, Ron, and that's _that_!" Ginny began to quietly make her way down the stairs.

"Why shouldn't we, if we know where-" Seeing Ginny, Ron broke off in mid-sentence and shook his head, a look of utter rage upon his now very red face. It took a moment for this to sink in, but then-

"You know where he is?" she said in almost a screech. "You know where he is and you haven't _told_ me?"

"Ginny, you know why." said Hermione quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. And she did know why, it just hurt that everyone thought she was so childish…

"It's not as if I'm stupid enough to go and look for him."

"Well _he_ doesn't seem to think so." Said Ron before anyone could stop him. "In every letter he's written to us he's made it clear that he doesn't want you to know-" Mrs. Weasley smacked him sharply across the back of his head.

"_Every_ letter? He's written to you more than once?" Hermione and Molly glared at Ron. Ginny looked around at them, suddenly aware of how immature they all thought she really was. Even Harry seemed to be thinking so.

"Ginny, I know what you're thinking," said Hermione with a hint of what might be fear in her voice. "And you're wrong. He just wants to protect you, that's all."

"Oh, but not you lot, right? You get to go and find horcruxes whenever he needs you to, get to be at his beckoned call, get letters from him on a regular basis… So I suppose that means he doesn't care whether _you're_ protected?"

"It's different." Said her mother sharply, pursing her lips. "They're of age. You know why it's different."

"Well that doesn't make it any more fair, does it?" she snapped, turning back up the stairs and slamming her bedroom door behind her. She plopped moodily onto her bed and glared daggers at the ceiling, remaining there for the rest of the day.


	6. Under Pressure

**CHAPTER SIX**

Ron sat in the living room of the Burrow. Nearly six months had passed since Harry's departure, and life was – for the most part – quite uneventful. Ron stared into the fire, perhaps waiting for a head to bob into the flames, or for and urgent owl to tap on the window. He had been waiting for things such as this a lot lately, even though it had only ever happened twice before.

He rubbed his eyes and stole a glance at his watch; it was almost two o'clock in the morning. Surely he was the only one still awake.

But just as this thought crossed his mind, the door to the dimly lit room slid open and Hermione crept in. She jumped slightly at the sight of him sitting in one of the squishy armchairs near the fireplace.

"I thought for sure I was the only one awake." She said, sitting on the couch and pulling her knees tightly to her chest.

"So did I." he replied with a grin, moving to sit next to her. She cuddled up to him and laid her head on his shoulder, his scent pleasantly filling her senses.

"Any word from Harry tonight?"

"You would've known if there was." He replied. It had been over a month since they had had any contact with Harry at all.

"I got another letter from my parents today." Said Hermione, playing absentmindedly with his hair. "They asked me to come home again." Ron was quiet a moment.

"Are you going?"

"No…this is far too important. I need to be here for Harry…they know that."

"Plus, I'd be awful distraught without you here." He retorted coyly, giving her a brief kiss. Hermione broke from him and smiled, tangling her fingers with his and relaxing against him.

"I just wish Harry would at least let us know he was alive somehow." She said in a worried tone.

"I know it. I've been waiting up every night…just in case. I'm actually anxious to go out and help him again, as foolish as that sounds. There's just nothing better to do without school. And I certainly don't mind helping him out every once in a while."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Replied Hermione, pulling him closer. The Burrow was still quite chilly in February, even with a fire going in the fireplace.

"Cold?" he asked quietly. She gave a small nod and bit her lip, a shiver running through her. She was having trouble deciphering whether it was due to the cold or the red-head sitting next to her.

Ron leaned in and kissed her, slowly pushing her back so that he was lying on top of her on the couch. They continued their kiss, and both had to admit – this felt right.

"Ron…" she breathed, trying to contain herself and he made a small trail of kisses from her cheek to her neck. "We're…we're right out in the open."

"No one else is awake." He whispered to her, inching his hand under her shirt. She arched herself against him, and became suddenly aware of how aroused they both were.

"Ron…Ron, we can't…" she said reluctantly. Ron let out a disappointed groan into her shoulder.

"Are you sure?" he said in a pleading way, his hand still up her shirt. It was so hard to turn him down, but…

"I'm certain. What if someone caught us? Your mother would send me home for sure."

"We wouldn't be caught." He said, kissing her. She could hardly keep herself under control. "Hermione, what if Harry calls us in tomorrow and one of us doesn't make it home?" Ron knew as soon as he said it that it had been the wrong thing to say. Rage flashed through her eyes and her face became very stern.

"Then one of us will have died a virgin." She said in the "Prefect" voice he had heard her use so many times at Hogwarts. She pushed him up angrily and moved away from him, folding her arms across her chest. "I wish you'd stop using this war against me."

"I didn't mean it like that, 'Mione! I'm just-"

"So eager to shag that you'll say _anything_?" she spat at him, but the words obviously hurt her just as much as they had him. This was the third time they had had this argument. Hermione let out a sigh. "You know my reasoning, Ron. After all, we've only been together for-"

"Six months…I know."

"Then why, why do you keep pushing this? Why can't just being together-"

"I get it." He interrupted. "I'm a git." Hermione relaxed a bit, but still kept her distance from him. "I'm sorry, okay? It's just that… Even if we never had, and one of us died, I'd still be perfectly fine with having never done it…it has nothing to do with the war. I just…I want a way to show you just how much I care about you. How much I love you." His ears went instantly to deep shade of red and he shot her a nervous glance.

"You meant that?" she said, relaxing a bit more.

"Of course I do." He replied, moving closer to her on the couch and draping his arm over her shoulders. She sighed with what he hoped was happiness and cuddled back up to him. He always had a great way for making up for a fight.

"You know, I think I'm starting to understand how Ginny must be feeling."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm always worried about you. Even now I'm worried about you. What if one of us does die? What on earth am I going to do without you? The thought alone is enough to drive someone mad."

"Yeah, and I don't even want to think of what Ginny would do if Harry died. I think she might actually lose it. For only being together a month or two, in person I mean, she certainly is attached." Said Ron.

"So is he. He's so worried that she'll be hurt that he doesn't even contact her, hardly even talks about her when he doesn't have to – afraid the wrong people might overhear. It's absolutely killing him." Hermione replied.

"Hermione," he said, a sudden look of surprised horror dawning on his face. "Do you think they've…that is to say, Harry and Ginny…do you think they've…you know…" he sputtered. Hermione knew full well that what Ron was implying had indeed happened, but had been sworn to secrecy my Ginny. But even if she hadn't been sworn to it, she wouldn't have been stupid enough to say anything about it anyway.

"I think it's best not to dwell on those things, Ron. All it will do is make people upset. And it probably hasn't even happened." She added as an afterthought, hoping it would be enough to convince him. He (and all of his brothers) had always been very sensitive to the subject of Ginny's innocence. She decided to change the subject. "You know, Ron," she said in a suggestive tone. "There are lot's of other things we can do…besides shagging, I mean." Ron snapped his head around so fast that she could've sworn she heard his neck crack.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a mischievous look in his eye.

"Think about it." She said, giving him a quick kiss and retiring to her bed in Ginny's room.

Hermione loved to torment him like this. She snuggled into her covers, staring over at the lump that was Ginny, and wondered for a fleeting moment what it must be like to be her.


	7. Scrubbing

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Ginny woke with a start, though she wasn't sure why. The Burrow was perfectly peaceful, and if it weren't for the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen she would've guessed that she was home completely alone. There was obviously no one in the house but her mother and herself, and she was pretty sure that the others weren't out picnicking.

The other occupants of the house were no doubt out on some mission, as it usually was when things were this quiet. People in association with the Order rarely did anything else, or had anything better to do these days.

Ginny snuggled back up to her blankets, not quite ready to get up. She could still feel Harry in her bed, smell him on her sheets, and – if she closed her eyes tightly enough – could still see him playing absentmindedly with the stray threads hanging off of her quilt. She, of course, had washed the bedding since then, but the memories were good enough for her.

After about ten minutes of reminiscence, she decided that she might as well get up. She did, after all, have a big day of cleaning and reading ahead of her. That was what just about every day had consisted of since September.

Her mother was in the kitchen, scrubbing the sink. Ginny never quite understood what the point of it was, but the notion only confirmed her suspicions. Molly did this every time Harry, Ron, Hermione, or anyone from the Order went out on a mission. Ginny never even had to ask.

"Everything alright, Mum?" asked Ginny, knowing quite well that everything was not.

"Fine, dear." Her mother replied, scrubbing the sink more vigorously. She never got to go on the missions either. The Order believed that someone should stay back with Ginny, just to be safe. Safe from what, Ginny wasn't sure, but she had given up on asking questions months ago.

"They'll be alright, Mum. No one's gotten hurt too badly on a mission so far."

"Yes, yes, I know."

"And I'm sure that Harry wouldn't ask Ron and Hermione to come and help him if he thought they'd be seriously injured."

"I know, dear." Said her mother, panting slightly and taking a break from her scrubbing. "I just get worried when it's only the three of them like this – no Order members there to help them or anything. You understand…" she said, with a feeble smile at her daughter. Ginny smiled back, quite sure that her mother wasn't supposed to divulge this particular bit of information. She let out a sigh.

"So," she said, wanting desperately to change the subject. "What are my chores for the day?" With this, she pulled her hair up into a pony-tail. Her mother smiled at her, placing a gentle and slightly sudsy hand on her cheek.

"I really appreciate what you're doing here, Ginny."

"It's no problem, Mum. There's nothing else to do around here anyway."

"No, I don't mean the chores, although it has been quite helpful to have you around for that." Ginny looked slightly confused. "I haven't told you yet how proud I am of you for dealing with your situation in such a mature fashion. I appreciate it more than I've let on lately." Ginny looked at her mother for a second, as if wondering whether or not this conversation was headed in a pleasant direction. Deciding that she couldn't dodge every iffy topic, she plopped into one of the kitchen chairs and buried her face in her hands.

"You have no idea." Her mother smiled at her and placed a loving hand on her shoulder.

"I don't tell you often enough how proud I am of you. Seeing as we're in the middle of a war…I should probably start." Ginny felt tears threatening her eyes, but she wasn't in the mood to have a sobbing spell today. She got up sharply and wiped away the single tear that had slipped out, not wanting her mother to know how upset she really was.

"Um…well, chores…you know." She said weakly, turning on the spot and leaving the room to clean whatever needed it.


	8. A Spot of Tea

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"Where are we?" asked Ron as the three of them walked stiffly through the dark front hall of the old house Harry had brought them to.

"My house." Said Harry, flicking a switch on the wall and bringing light to the dark hallway. It was still rather gloomy, but at least now they could see clearly.

"Your house?" said Hermione, glancing around the room confusedly.

"Well, where did you think I'd been staying, in a cave?" asked Harry, removing his cloak and hanging it on a nearby hook. Actually, she had expected something of the sort. "We obviously couldn't have resumed our old station, could we? What with Snape knowing the location and all – would've been way too obvious. So we came here."

"Where exactly is _here_?" asked Ron, running his hand along the wall.

"My grandparents' old house. It's been condemned for years, but we opened it back up and it is now the new official residence of the Order of the Phoenix." Said Harry in a much rehearsed fashion.

"But Harry, if anyone could just Apparate inside-"

"Don't you think we thought of that?" he interrupted Hermione. "Apparition in the only way you _can_ get in now, and Moody made it so only people I want to get in can." He finished, proceeding into another dark room and flicking switches here and there. The house appeared to be quite large, and reminded Hermione and Ron somewhat of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, but with a friendlier and more welcoming atmosphere.

"I'm starting to understand how Sirius must've felt." They heard him call from the other room. The two followed his voice and found him brewing tea in a large dine-in kitchen with an elegant light fixture hanging from the high ceiling.

"How do you mean?" asked Hermione, looking around in awe.

"I never get to go anywhere or do anything if I'm not on a mission. Too dangerous, you see…" Ron and Hermione sat down stiffly at the large kitchen table, their aching joints and muscles causing them to move as if they were much older than seventeen. They had just successfully retrieved and destroyed the second of the four remaining horcruxes.

"Tea?" said Harry, taking the now whistling kettle off the stove. The two of them nodded feebly, but Harry moved around almost energetically, obviously grateful to have new visitors.

Hermione looked at her watch and yawned. It was quite late. She stretched as Harry handed over her tea. She suddenly felt very grown up, sitting around at a kitchen table drinking tea in the middle of the night with her two best friends.

"What's our next move, Harry?" asked Ron groggily, sipping his tea.

"Well, first I have to get that locket – I'm pretty sure I can get that on my own, no worries – then the snake, but that'll be with…"

"With Voldemort?" asked Hermione. She had gotten quite good at saying the name with no physical affects.

"Well…yeah. So…so we'll be able to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Harry replied, trying to pass it off as a joke. But nothing had ever been more serious.

"We'll stay with you through all of it." Said Ron, suddenly awake and aware. He too had hardly flinched at the name.

"No, go home first. I'll call you back when I need you. There's really no need for you to stay here if all I'm going to be doing is research and training."

"But we miss you, mate. We won't mind."

"I know, but I'd mind. You have the time to be with your family. Go do that."

Hermione nodded, thinking of her mother and father. She thought briefly of what would happen if she just packed up and went home tomorrow. She knew she couldn't, not so far into the war. People were still dying all over. She was helping _good_ get closer to victory. Leaving was no longer an option at this point.

She came back to reality as Ron and Harry struck up a fresh conversation about Quidditch. It was almost like old times.

"This is all _very_ interesting." Said Hermione with another great yawn. "But I'm going to sleep. Where can I find a couch?"

"Don't be silly. There's something like six guest rooms here. Just go upstairs and pick a room. Really." Said Harry. She nodded and got up, giving them both good-night kisses on the cheek and heading up the stairs. When she was out of sight they continued conversation.

"So, er, are you two still together then?" asked Harry, staring into his teacup. He missed Ginny so much…

"Yeah." Said Ron, turning a light shade of red and letting a giddy expression take over his face. Harry smiled at him, or more in his direction really, for he was no longer really paying attention. He was mentally back at the Burrow in Ginny's bed, cuddling with her, breathing in her scent, listening to her heartbeat…

Harry reminisced about this often, and sometimes it was enough to make him consider dropping this stupid war – to let someone else fight it. But he would soon return to reality and tell himself, once again, that he knew he couldn't do that.

Ron apparently took notice that Harry was deep in thought and let out a great yawn. Whether it was a real yawn or not, Harry couldn't tell.

"I'm off to bed, mate." He said, clapping Harry on the shoulder and climbing the stairs.

Harry sat at the kitchen table thinking about Ginny for so long that he fell asleep with his head on the table and his glasses askew.


	9. Shock Therapy

**CHAPTER NINE**

Harry woke with a start and found himself in complete and utter darkness. It was clearly very late into the night. Someone who was not him had just turned out the kitchen lights. Small things like this often roused him from sleep these days.

He looked blindly around the room, determined to find whoever had turned off the lights. Someone else was in the room with him, he could feel it. It almost felt as if they were watching him, seeing when he couldn't. Harry's breath quickened. Who on earth was there?

The light turned suddenly back on, though no one had touched it. He literally fell backward out of his chair in shock. Ginny was standing next to the kitchen table wearing that same pale blue dress she had worn in the wedding. Water was soaked right through her dress, causing it to cling to her curves.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed, quickly clambering to his feet and backing into the kitchen table. "How did you…what're you…where did you…" he stammered, at a loss for words. He was torn between being outraged and being the happiest he had been in months. He continued stammering dumbly until Ginny moved toward him, pressing him harder into the edge of the table and pressing her finger to his lips.

"All that matters now is the fact that we're together again." she whispered, removing her finger and kissing him hard on the lips. He wanted to protest, Merlin did her ever, but it was almost as if she had latched onto his soul. Ginny pushed him back onto the table, knocking over his tea and climbing on top of him.

"I've missed you." he breathed as she began unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his neck, hardly able to say or think anything else. Her fingers ran seductively over the bare skin of his abdomen and he placed his hands on the small of her back.

A floor board creaked in the hallway and both of them snapped their heads around to stare at the dark doorway that led out of the kitchen. The lights in the kitchen went out again, emitting them once again in total darkness.

Harry felt Ginny slide off of him and heard her running for the hall. He got up and ran after her, missing the doorway and running full force into the wall. Why was it so bloody dark?

He finally felt his way through the door and into the hall. He could hear Ginny in the darkness, whimpering and pleading with someone he could not see. He searched his pockets for his wand, but it was no use. It was nowhere to be found. He resorted to groping along the wall for the light switch.

"Ginny, what's going on?" he said, backing up against the wall. A great deal of pressure had just filled the room and he became aware of his scar aching dully. "Ginny…" he rather groaned as the pain in his scar increased. She continued whimpering as he felt around for her in the darkness.

Added to the sounds of Ginny's crying, he could now hear someone breathing deeply, hollowly. Harry's head felt as if it were going to explode. He collapsed to the floor, leaning against the wall and trying desperately to regain his composure. He wished he could see what was going on. And then he heard it, not sure who had said it or at whom it was directed.

"Avada Kedavra!" someone had hissed. A great amount of green light lit up the room, enabling Harry to see the scene perfectly for the first time. There He was, towering over Ginny at the other end of the hall, snake-like eyes filled with manic delight as she fell into a lifeless heap on the floor.

It became dark once more and Harry could hear Voldemort laughing maniacally and making his way out of the hall. Scrambling over to where he knew Ginny's body to be, he lifted her into his arms and began rocking back and forth.

"This is why I told you not to come!" he yelled at her, so shocked that he was hardly able to cry. Ginny couldn't be dead…she was the whole reason he fought this war. The reason he breathed, the reason he kept going…

The stairs creaked under Voldemort's weight and Harry knew instantly where he was headed. Not them too.

"Ron!" he called, unable to will himself to get up. "Ron, Hermione! It's Him! Wake up, do something!" Harry could hear them yelling his name. Their voices got louder and louder, almost as if they were in the room with him. His body started writhing as if someone were actually shaking him by the shoulders. He felt a hot pain across his face as if someone had slapped him, but no one else was in the room. What was going _on_?

Ron and Hermione were still screaming his name. Voldemort was laughing somewhere in the distance. Harry was shaking violently now, still being slapped over and over by invisible hands, Ginny's lifeless body still cradled in his arms. His forehead felt as if it had split open, he could almost feel cold blood running down his face. The room felt like it was spinning, he was going to be sick…

"Harry! Harry!" Ron shouted, dumping water on him once more and trying desperately to wake him. Harry's eyes finally snapped open and he collapsed and vomited on the floor of the dimly lit hallway.

* * *

**A.N. I'm really busy lately, so i don't exactly know when the next time I'll be able to update will be. I'm in a play right now and I have a load of school work every night, so I'm really trying to get this story done but it's kind of been taking the back seat lately.**

**Having said that, I have a question for all of you. Since I'm asuming you've read the whole story up to this point, how would you feel about a final battle chapter? I personally do not want to write one and just let it be implied that they're fighting the final battle, because I feel that I'm not too good at writing combat and violence. I just wouldn't want to ruin the rest of this story with a crappy final battle chapter. But if you lot reallywant one and think that this story would be worse without it, I could make an attempt. Give me your opinions on the matter.**

**Thanks to everyone who has commented! It means a lot to me, really.**


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